The gifted impressionist artist Vangjush Mio (1891-1957) had a remarkable painting career encompassing 40 years, producing over 400 paintings and 300 sketches. He studied art at Bucharest's art high school in 1919 and continued to study art at Rome university before returning to Korça in 1924. Painting mostly Albanian landscapes and portraits, Mio also made scenes for the local theatre and was the topic of a dozen exhibitions both in Albania and abroad. The artist's daughter Rozeta shows visitors around the handful of rooms that show Mio's best works (though 60 are in Tirana's National Museum). Korça's streets and surroundings haven't changed that much judging by Mio's beautiful paintings. Three nude paintings from the artist's Roman period in the 1920s are on display too. Interestingly, Mio had to stop painting nudes as the local girls didn't want to pose naked as eagerly as Italian ladies. The lovely two-storey traditional Ottoman-era building housing the museum is worth a visit alone, as it has many original carved wooden ornaments and ceilings (some of them painted too). Find the museum at the rear of the cathedral. Call in advance.

Admission 50 lek.

Vangjush Mio Museum comments Add Yours

• Anxhelo - Korca, Albania 16 October 2009
  He's the best Albanian painter...